Maple Cardamom Hazelnut Butter

Do you have a favourite nut? Almond? Cashew? Brazil? Pecan? How about hazelnuts?? I do love my hazelnuts but honestly can’t convince myself to pick a favourite. It’s like picking a favourite child. HOW CAN I NARROW IT DOWN?! I LOVE THEM ALL. Which is why I love making my own nut butters. It is EASY and DELICIOUS with an added bonus of avoiding any unwanted fillers. weeee!!

Are you ready to give it a try?

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This recipe uses raw hazelnuts that I toasted myself. The trick with hazelnuts is removing as much of the skins after you toast them, making the nut butter less bitter, a little creamier, and a nicer flavour. The next step is to simply toss them in a food processor(US/CAN) or high speed blender(US/CAN) and process until creamy. It takes a little longer in the food processor but still achieves the same result. One thing to note is that any liquid sweetener will cause the nut butter to thicken up again. So if you like your nut butters drippy, use a dry sugar like maple sugar or coconut sugar. If you don’t mind the mixture a little thicker (they can make really good truffles!) then you can use liquid sweeteners. In the photos I used maple syrup so it definitely thickened up. To help keep it creamy I usually add coconut oil but it’s not necessary.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spread the hazelnuts evenly on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.

Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a bowl and remove the skins with a clean tea towel. Don’t worry if you can’t get them all. Transfer the nuts to a blender or food processor and blend, scraping down the sides until creamy. (I find this takes longer in the food processor-10 minutes at least). Add the cardamom, salt and sugar of choice and blend. Add coconut oil if necessary. Taste and adjust adding more maple sugar, cardamom or salt.

Notes

*Any liquid sweetener will cause the nut butter to thicken up. Use a dry sweetener if you want it to be drippy. Use a liquid sweetener if you want it to me thicker.

** I only use coconut oil when I use a liquid sweetener to help loosen it up a bit.